Lotus of Siam is considered by some sources as one of the best Thai restaurants in the U.S. I was visiting Las Vegas for the first time in a long while and wanted to try it out. Apparently the wait times without a reservation at dinner are quite long. The restaurant is located in a strip mall a little bit off the north end of the Strip. I went during lunch on a Wednesday and there was plenty of seating.
One of the first things you see when you walk in is their large wine collection behind a clear wall. They have a very impressive wine list, with a good sized section dedicated to rieslings, a wine that pairs well with Thai food.
I had:
Nam Kao Tod ($8.95)
Crispy rice mixed with sour cubed pork sausages, cilantro, green onions, grounded dry chilis, ginger, peanuts and lime juice.
One of their signature dishes. Crispy, sour, spicy, and salty. I didn’t like this as much as I thought I would, I think I got a little taste fatigue after a few bites.
Crispy Sea Bass with Drunken Noodles ($30.95)
Deep fried Sea Bass topped with fresh homemade chili and thai basils. Served on the top of pan fried flat rice noodles.
This was great. The fish (Chilean sea bass aka Patagonian toothfish) was fried perfectly, with a thin crisp crust and tender inside. The pad kee mao underneath was well flavored and had good textured chewy rice noodles. I did notice that in some spots the noodles were a little stuck together. A little pricy at > $30, but the fish is high quality.
They ask you on a 1-10 scale how hot you want your food to be. Level 7 was plenty spicy for me. Anyone else have any favorites here?